The Gay and Lesbian Center Long Beach, 2017 E. 4th St., will be hosting works from artist M. Lowwater’s Cultural Annex series through Friday, Nov. 5.
Known for his vast skill set, mixed-media artist Lowwater unites fine art and graphic design. His work blends painting and collage, photography, digital media and printmaking, ultimately blurring the line between fine and commercial art.
Political inspiration tracing back to his roots in Iowa, his work at an alternative newspaper, and his understanding of American pop culture are on full display in his series The Cultural Annex: Re-Appropriating American Iconography for the Gay Rights Movement. Lowwater pulls from various imagery of the American visual lexicon to make the point that equality for gay people is indeed a core American value, and this show is his attempt to take rightful ownership as part of the American identity.
References included in his work range from Martin Luther King to Virginia Slims advertisements to Lady Liberty and Lady Justice, as well as Americans’ fascination with idols appearing on toast.
